Inline multi pump coupling system

ABSTRACT

This invention pertains to an inline pump coupling system for use with a diesel engine, designed to place an additional high pressure oil pump behind the existing high pressure oil pump for the diesel engine, and which doubles the high pressure oil volume output from the pumps to the diesel engine injectors. The pump coupling system consists of a replacement shaft portion, the pump coupler that fits intermediate the pair of aligned pumps, and a shaft coupler portion, for coupling the shafts of the inline pumps together. The replacement shaft has a shaped back end that matingly engages within the shaft coupler of the back pump, to provide for simultaneous rotation of the pump shafts during generation of the high hydraulic oil pressure developed from a simultaneous operation of the pair of inline pumps.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This non-provisional application claims priority to the provisional application for patent Ser. No. 60/688,198 which was filed on Jun. 7, 2005 and is commonly owned by the same inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an inline pump coupling system, and more specifically provides for the alignment of at least a pair high pressure/hydraulic or oil pumps, that have specific usage for increasing the oil flow and volume to HEUI injectors, as for a diesel engine.

The present invention relates to an apparatus that increases oil volume and flow to HEUI injectors in the 7.3 liter International Navistar diesel engine, by coupling two OEM high pressure oil pumps together. In the 7.3 liter International Navistar diesel engine fuel delivery is increased by raising HEUI oil pressure and injector pulse width. When injector pulse width is increased past OEM calibration and/or a larger performance injector is installed, the OEM high pressure oil pump cannot keep up with the increased demand for oil volume, thereby lowering injector oil pressure and sacrificing injection event efficiency.

Some prior technology has given consideration to this problem. Some have simply interconnected a pair of pumps together, in parallel arrangement, and then delivers their high pressure oil output to a singular supply line, that then supplies the pressurized oil volume directly to injectors for engines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention resides in an inline pump coupling system for use on a 7.3 liter International Navistar diesel engine. Other diesel engines can incorporate the inline pumping system of this invention. This invention allows the engine to improve performance and efficiency by maintaining injector oil pressure demand with two OEM high pressure oil pumps in place of one. The inline pump coupling system consists of a hardened and lengthened steel shaft with an oval tang on the aft end that takes the place of the OEM shaft in the front pump. The inline pump coupling system also consists of a hardened steel shaft coupler with an oval female receiver at the forward end and a threaded male protrusion on the aft side that ties the front and rear pump shafts together. The final piece in the inline pump coupling system is an aluminum pump coupler with oil passages drilled for high and low oil pressure to travel to and from the aft pump in the system. The aluminum coupler has a flange that is machined to fit into the aft side of the front pump and a machined recess with an O-ring to allow the aft pump to seat into the aft side of the pump coupler. The inline pump coupling system is held together with bolts that run through the aft pump, aluminum pump coupler, and front pump and into the aft side of the timing cover. The shaft coupler threads into the front side of the aft pump shaft. The front side of the shaft coupler has an oval receiver that allows the oval male tang of the front pump to engage therein. The male oval tang is secured in the female coupling by a through bolt that applies a pinch fit.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide an integrated structure for an inline pump coupling system, or IPCS, for significantly enhancing the oil pressure output of an oil pump, of the type used for supplying operations to HEUI injectors, particularly for diesel engines.

Another object of this invention is to provide a concept for linking a series of hydraulic oil pumps together, axially inline, into an integral structure, for enhancing the high pressure oil output from the series of axially aligned pumps.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an enhancement of the efficiency of operation of diesel engines, that can greatly accelerate their operations, and thereby increase the power and speed of operations of the vehicle particularly during operation and to achieve high speed acceleration.

These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the summary of the invention as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of the preferred embodiment, in view of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a front view of the billet aluminum pump coupler used for the inline interconnection of a pair of hydraulic pumps axially together;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the billet pump coupler;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the billet pump coupler;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the shaft coupler;

FIG. 4 a is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the shaft coupler, particularly the stud portion;

FIG. 4 b is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the shaft coupler, particularly the coupler portion;

FIG. 4 c is an end view of the coupler portion;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the shaft coupler;

FIG. 6 is a back view of the shaft portion that provides the means for inline coupling of at least a pair of pumps together

FIG. 7 is a side view of the shaft portion for coupling a pair of the pumps together; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded view showing the various components that assemble together to provide for the fabrication of the inline multi pump coupling system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In referring to the drawings, and in particular in FIG. 1, and as also reviewed in further views such as FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the pump coupler system of this invention is readily disclosed. The pump system is preferably, in the preferred embodiment, made of high grade aluminum, and more specifically of 6160-T6 aircraft grade aluminum, due to its ease of processing and machining, material cost, and enhanced durability over extended usage. The main aluminum pump coupler's front and rear shape is dictated by the OEM high and pressure oil pump configuration and the gasket that is placed between the pump coupler and the rear pump. The front and rear pumps of the pump coupler are all secured together by threaded rods, or studs, that run through the bolt holes 2 and 5, that hold the pair of inline pumps together. The milled area 3, formed upon the front surface of the coupler, is a recessed shape that is identical in shape to the rear of the front pump and which accepts the front pump when installed. There is an annular protrusion, provided at 9, that slides into the open end of the aft end of the front pump, where it is pressed up against the existing OEM O-ring that is provided inside the front pump, as structured.

The milled area at 4 is a circular recess that provides clearance for a #6 O-ring of the open Allen hydraulic plug that is provided at the rear of the front OEM pump. Thus, all those shaped characteristics of the rear of the front OEM pump are provided and milled into the pump coupler as described herein, so as to provide for their convenient accommodation when mounted together, for enhanced generation of oil pressure.

As can further be seen in FIG. 2, there is a horizontal relief area 22, at the right side of the pump coupler, arranged in front of its integral flange, as can be seen at 22. This area is provided at the right side of the pump coupler, and does allow for clearance for locating of the OEM injection relief valve that is located at the rear of the front OEM pump, as described. The recess 6 that is provided upon the top of the coupler is shaped to also allow for clearance for the water drain valve that locates on the OEM fuel filter canister that is mounted above the pump coupler, during installation. Located in the recess 6 is an access hole 8 that allows for the tightening of the shaft coupler bolt 29, into position, when the two pumps are mounted inline, particularly for the type of shaft coupler as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

The access hole 8 is threaded at the top 7 for the ⅛ inch NPT low profile open Allen pipe plug. On the right side of the pump coupler are two located recesses, 13 and 14, as can be seen also in FIG. 3, and these are provided for threaded engagement with ¼ inch NPT low profile open allen plugs, for use for capping off the cross-drill passages 19 and 20, as noted. On the top side of the pump coupler are threaded recesses 15 and 16, that also allow for a ¼ inch NPT fitting to be placed within each recess.

The engine oil pressure is supplied via external lines to a hydraulic fitting that is secured into the oil inlet port 15, as described, and this allows for the oil to pass down into the cross drill passage 18, and to the cross-drill passage 20, and then travels to the cross-drilled oil outlet port 21, provided on the aft side of the pump coupler, which feeds the oil into the inlet of the aft or rear pump of the inline assembly. A secondary oil inlet port 16 allows for additional oil volume to flow down into the cross-drilled passage 17, to intercept the cross-drilled passage 19, so that it can flow into the main cross-drilled passage 18. At the top of the pump coupler is a ¼ inch NPT pipe threaded port 10 that allows for a hydraulic fitting to be secured thereat, to allow for high pressure oil to be released when the aft pump reaches its maximum pressure. The high pressure oil is released from the rear pump from its high pressure relief port into the port 12, at the rear face of the pump coupler. The oil then flows into the cross-drilled passage 11, and then flows through the port 10, in which there is a hydraulic fitting secured to allow for oil to be released into external lines leading to the engine.

At the front of the pump coupler is a through opening 25, which when installed between the front and rear OEM pumps, allows for the shaft coupler 27, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, to engage the rear portion of the shaft 26, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 of the front pump. At the rear of the pump coupler is a through opening 24 that allows for the nose of the rear pump to be slid into the coupler, via a tight slip-fit. In the through opening 24 is an O-ring gland, as at 23, for reception of an O-ring, which fits within a groove within the opening 24, and which O-ring is formed preferably as a nitrile O-ring, which is placed to provide an oil seal against the nose of the rear pump, and to secure the oil from the front pumps internal bearing lubrication system.

The second portion of the inline pump coupling system is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. This is the shaft that replaces the OEM shaft in the front pump. The shaft is identical to the OEM shaft with a male oval tang 26 provided, and which furnishes an area for the shaft coupler 27 to connect, in a keyed fashion, and is generally the type of shaft coupler as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in order to provide engagement between these two components. Hence, the shaft portion is constructed of an A-2 alloy steel, and is heat treated to obtain a 58-60 Rockwell hardness to allow for extreme wear and resistance, with rigidity, during prolonged usage.

The third portion of the inline pump coupling system can be seen in FIG. 4 and 5. This is the shaft coupler 27, which connects on to the shaft 32, as previously explained. This shaft coupler 27 is constructed of 4140 forged steel, for enhanced durability. On the rear side of the shaft coupler 27 is an M12×1.75 right hand threaded male protrusion 30 that is threaded into the front of the rear pump's shaft. At the front side of the shaft coupler is an oval recess 28, that allows for the male oval tang 26, to locate therein, of the front pump shaft, when placed into this oval recess 28, of the shaft coupler 27. Hence, the shaft coupler is then secured via pinch-fit with a ¼″ Allen cap screw 29. There are two slots 31 and 31 a perpendicular to each other, to allow for the cap to pinch, when the screw is tightened, in order to create a pinch fit between these two components.

An alternate embodiment of the shaft coupler 27 appears in FIGS. 4 a, 4 b, 4 c. FIG. 4 a shows the stud portion of the shaft coupler that engages the rear pump 33 b. The shaft coupler has a stud portion 30 connected to a coupler portion 27. FIG. 4 a shows the stud portion with a stud 30 for threaded connection in to the shaft of the rear pump. Opposite the stud 30, the stud portion has a wider threaded head 30 a. The threaded head connects to the coupler portion shown in FIG. 4 b. The coupler portion has a generally cylindrical shape with a first end and an opposite second end. The first end has a threaded socket 27 a that receives the threaded head 30 a of the stud portion. Opposite the threaded socket, the coupler portion has an internal spline 28 a. The spline 28 a and the threaded socket 27 a are coaxial and centered upon the longitudinal axis of the coupler portion 27. Upon the second end, the coupler portion has eight internal teeth equally spaced about the interior forming the spline 28 a. The teeth extend longitudinally and mesh with those of the shaft 32 located towards an end denoted 26.

Thus, the concept of this invention is to utilize a specially designed shaft to provide for the integration of a pair of high pressure oil pumps together, and to achieve such, it has a shaft coupler, as at 27, that secures on its rear end of the shaft 32. Preferably, the shaft is made of S-7 spring steel for durability under torsion induced during pumping.

The shaft then locates through the front pump, its coupler connects onto the rear of the shaft and connects with the rear pump, that is pressure fitted by means of the O-ring into the pump coupler 1, as previously reviewed. Hence, through these three components, the coupler, the shaft, and the shaft coupler, a pair of high pressure oil pumps can be integrated together, axially inline, to provide enhanced oil pressure output, that accelerates the amount of oil pressure generated, normally double, when two pumps are involved, for use for enhanced operations of the fuel injectors for a diesel engine. This greatly accelerates the operations of such an engine, which can enhance the vehicle speed, in which the diesel engine locates.

FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the inline multi-pump coupling system of this invention. More specifically, the first and second pumps that are coupled together in this invention, are the pumps 33 a and 33 b, as noted.

Then, the front pump 33 a will have its shaft removed, and the replacement shaft 32, see FIG. 7, will be slid into and through the opening of said front pump. Then, the front pump is slid into the milled area 3 of the pump coupler 1 in the manner as previously described. The shaft coupler 27, and its oval recess 28 has inserted therein the aft end of the shaft 32, and more specifically its oval tang 26. Then, the shaft coupler 27 treadedly engages within the front end of the shaft 32, of the back pump 33 b, and through such engagement, the two pumps are now coupled together, inline, to provide for their simultaneous operation.

As previously reviewed, a pair of bolts pass through the bolt holes 2 and 5, for the pumps, and the pump coupler, to secure them together. Also, all hydraulic lines connect to the fittings for these pumps to accommodate high pressure oil flow between them. It can be also seen that the milled area 4 accommodates the hydraulic plug 34, for the purposes as previously reviewed.

Other uses can be made for this inline coupling of a pair of high pressure oil pumps together, besides within a diesel engine. The inline multi-pump cooling systems and its various components may be manufactured from many materials including but not limited to steel, A-2 alloy steel, S-7 spring steel, other ferrous and non-ferrous metals and their alloys, polymers, rugged plastics, and composites.

Variations or modifications of the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon review of the development as described herein. Such variations, if within the spirit of this development, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention as defined. The description of the preferred embodiment, and its detailed disclosure in the drawings, is set forth for illustrative purposes only. 

1. An inline multi pump coupling system, for coupling a pair of injector oil pumps axially, said pair of pumps including a front pump and a back pump, comprising: a pump coupler having a front and an opposite rear, and a cavity provided within said front, said cavity designed for accommodating the mating and sealed engagement of the rear of said front pump therein, said pump coupler locating between said front pump and said back pump, and said front pump mating with said front of said pump coupler; and, a replacement shaft provided for locating through said front pump, which when operated furnishes rotation of said replacement shaft and turning of the pumping components of said front pump, and coupling with the rotor of said back pump to attain simultaneous rotation of said front pump and said back pump, and to pressurize oil from said front pump and said back pump for supplying the injectors of a diesel engine.
 2. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 1 further comprising: a shaft coupler having two opposed ends, a shaped cavity provided in one end for accommodating the insertion of said replacement shaft therein, and fastening means provided upon a back end of said shaft coupler for engagement within the rotor of said back pump, so that as said replacement shaft rotates, the rotor of said back pump simultaneously rotates, to provide for simultaneous rotation of said front pump and said back pump.
 3. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 1 further comprising: said pump coupler having a plurality of passages for the admission of oil into said back pump and for the release of pressurized oil from said back pump as said front pump axially couples to said back pump, said passages locating outwards of said cavity.
 4. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 3 further comprising: said pump coupler having an inlet port and an adjacent secondary inlet port for receiving oil from said diesel engine then connecting to said passages for communicating oil into said back pump, and an outlet port for releasing oil from said back pump into said diesel engine.
 5. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 1 further comprising: said replacement shaft having a generally cylindrical form, a fore end and an aft end, said aft end locating in the direction of said back pump; and, said aft end connecting to said shaft coupler.
 6. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 5 further comprising: said aft end having a male tang for insertion into said cavity of said shaft coupler.
 7. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 5 further comprising: said cavity of said shaft coupler having a plurality of internal teeth; and, said aft end having a plurality of external teeth, said aft end connecting to said cavity in a spline.
 8. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 1 further comprising: said shaft coupler having a front side and an opposite rear side, said font side having a cavity for receiving said replacement shaft, and said rear side having a male protrusion for engaging the rotor of said back pump.
 9. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 8 wherein said replacement shaft has a tang upon one end, said front side has a slot the provides a pinch fit upon said tang when said tang is inserted into said cavity.
 10. The inline multi pump coupling system of claim 1 further comprising: said shaft coupler having a stud portion and a coupler portion; said stud portion having a threaded stud coaxial with a head having greater width than said stud, said stud and said head being threaded; and, said coupler portion having a generally cylindrical form with a cavity for receiving said replacement shaft and a threaded opening opposite said cavity for connecting to said head. 